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Los Alamitos council introduces e‑bike ordinance after safety and enforcement debate
Summary
Council introduced Ordinance 2025‑01 to add a municipal chapter regulating e‑bikes, focusing on sidewalk safety, enforcement based on 'prevailing conditions,' administrative citations for minors and school-based education; the measure passed its introductory vote.
Los Alamitos city council on Jan. 14 introduced an ordinance to add new municipal rules for electric bicycles, aiming to clarify where and how e‑bikes may be operated in the city and to implement training and enforcement measures recommended by an Orange County grand jury.
City staff and police officials told the council the draft ordinance (Ord. 2025‑01) would add Chapter 10.45 to the Los Alamitos Municipal Code and is intended to make enforcement clearer and to provide an education component for youth. Sergeant/Officer Gallagher said class 3 e‑bikes — those capable of about 28 mph — are not permitted on sidewalks and that officers would enforce unsafe operation by citing riders when speed or behavior is unsafe under prevailing conditions.
Supporters said the ordinance balances safety with practicality: it allows officers to consider context — such as pedestrian presence, weather or visibility — rather than attempt to enforce a fixed numeric sidewalk speed that riders cannot easily measure. Several council members pressed staff on how the city will reach school‑age riders; staff said e‑bike safety content will be folded into junior high safety instruction and that social media, the LaSalle Loop newsletter and a school‑district outreach would be used for public education. The city will also post dedicated e‑bike guidance on its website if the ordinance is approved.
On enforcement, staff recommended administrative citations rather than county traffic citations to keep the process local and to avoid higher third‑party processing fees. The council discussed a trial model others have used in which parents must accompany minors to a safety class in lieu of paying a fine; staff said that approach adds administrative cost and is under consideration but not presently budgeted.
The ordinance was introduced on a council vote that the mayor called in the affirmative. The item will return for a second reading and formal adoption at a future meeting when the council will have the ordinance wording in final form and accompanying implementation details such as the website tab, education schedule and an enforcement protocol.
